Self-assembly properties of 2-heptadecylimidazole in organic solvents were investigated. It has been found that various nanostructures such as globular, ribbon, and sausage-like aggregates are spontaneously formed through hydrogen bonding and coordination with AgNO3 in polar organic solutions. Highly ordered lamellar structures were found on the solution cast film, as revealed by X-ray diffraction, which support the formation of ordered nanostructures in organic solvents. In the cast film, two possible arrangements of the alkyl chains along the polymer main chain are proposed. While hydrogen bonding favors alkyl chains arranged on one side of the backbone of the linear assembly, coordination favors arrangement of the alkyl chains on the opposite side of the polymer main chain. The results presented in the paper provide an effective way to regulate and control the organized nanostructures of single-chain amphiphiles in organic solvents. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.